A digital thermometer is nice while steeping but there really is no need for a thermometer in the kettle...you heat until it boils, time it, turn the heat off. I use a digital thermometer with a folding probe to check temps during; 1) steeping, 2) post boil chilling, and 3) yeast pitching.

Once you start mashing then it's a different story.

What thermometer do you use? This is what I need, a new one for, pre boil, post boil and pre pitch.

When you are brewing with extract you don't need an exact temperature since your steeping can happen over a wide range of temperature without problems. I do like to have a thermometer in the wort as I approach the boil so I can turn the burner down to avoid a boil over but again, accuracy isn't really critical.

When accuracy becomes critical is if you are going to all grain brewing and need your mash temperature to be right. A few degrees difference from what you intend can have you end up with a very sweet beer or one that is very dry. Until you go all grain, just use whatever thermometer is handy for you.

Its about $100 new but the thermapen is awesome. Temperature to within a 1/10 of a degree in four seconds. Its accurate and fast enough you can get different temperatures in different spots in the mash. Great for grilling too.

Its about $100 new but the thermapen is awesome. Temperature to within a 1/10 of a degree in four seconds. Its accurate and fast enough you can get different temperatures in different spots in the mash. Great for grilling too.

Steeping with crystal grains in extract kits still use the same temp range as mashing. Go over 170 & you still leach taninns from the grain hulls. Water volume with steeping,however,is the less crytical area. Time when steeping is rarely more than 20-30 minutes that I've ever seen. And my cheap glass floating thermometer still does a great job when temp readings are needed. I tie 3-4 twist ties together,with a hangman's noose at one end to hold the thermometer. The other end to the BK handle. I can then adjust the hieght of the thermometer in the kettle. Cheap & effective.

Very accurate, no temp problems. Nice easy to read display and the cover helps keep it from smashing when I store it and also allows me to pull it out of the pot and flip it upside down almost like the cover and thermometer form a bipod stand - so it never touches anything unsanitized.